Adding Good Luck (and Avoiding the Bad Kind) Into Your Real Estate Life

There’s fun in believing that something bad is bound to happen to us on Friday the 13th. On the other hand, come across a four leaf clover and you’ll be blessed with good luck as long as you keep it in your possession.

The fact that certain superstitions never die seems to imply that some people do believe in them. Whether you do or not, keep in mind that luck alone won’t help you become a successful real estate agent.

That being said, it couldn’t hurt to add a little luck to your hard work. It’s also wise to avoid discouraging clients who may be more superstitious than you. The following are a few common real estate superstitions everyone in the business should know about:

Consider Which Numbers are Believed to be Lucky

Numerology has been around for a long time in various cultures. This means some people may pay close attention to numbers when deciding which homes they’ll buy or what price they’ll place on a property they’re selling. Usually the focus is on the last digit of a sale price that isn’t a zero.

For example, most Chinese people will find a home that ends with an eight to be a lucky investment. Since their word for eight is pronounced the same way as their words for prosperity and wealth, you’ll often see homes in Chinese neighborhoods priced at $258,000, $318,000, and so on.

A number associated with good luck by most people, including Americans, is seven. Vegas goers will swear to the number seven bringing them luck when hitting the casinos. People like to think so because of how prevalent the number seven is in our world. There are seven days of the week, seven seas, seven continents, seven notes on a musical scale, etc. Seven is also a number used in the Bible frequently and is the number of colors in a rainbow.

Be Wary of Numbers Considered Unlucky

Just like there are lucky numbers, there are also ones considered to bring bad luck as well. Arguably the most infamous unlucky number is 13, enough that many buildings like hotels and condos will skip the 13th floor completely. In fact, more than 95% of high-rise condos in New York have a floor 12 and then a floor 14, skipping 13.

While having the number 13 in a sale price isn’t a big deal, people might avoid buying a property if the dreaded number is in the address. Certain cultures have their own unlucky numbers as well, such as the Chinese (4), Japanese (9), Italians (17), and Indians (26). Good luck selling a home with an address that includes the numbers 666 to a Christian family.

If you’re working with people from a certain culture, it couldn’t hurt to do your homework and find out which numbers they generally stay away from. You might also save yourself a lot of trouble if you politely ask if the clients you’re working with are superstitious in any way.

Burying St. Joseph in your Yard

Believe it or not, St. Joseph is considered the patron saint of real estate. A religion-tied tradition that is supposed to bring you good luck is to bury a statue of St. Joseph somewhere on the property as soon as it goes up for sale. This is said to lead to a host of offers from potential buyers if done.

There are a lot of small instructions that many agents consider as well. Some bury the statue upside down while others bury it so that Joseph’s hands are pointing at the home. Burying the statue near a flowerbed or other natural growth is recommended, as is digging up the statue and placing it in your new home once the old one is sold.